Page 72 of Cursed Fae (Fae War Chronicles 2)

But for how long?Though, even as I think it, I don’t press. Backed into a corner, Rafferty is a viper, prepared to strike. And he’s getting far less rational with each passing hour. “Any luck on the Veil front?”

He shakes his head. “So far, most of Faerie has gone into hiding. Rumors about the ancients are spreading like wildfire.”

I sit up straighter, fear shooting past all other emotions. “Ancients? Like Wally?”

“A man claims to have seen one during an attack. But he was a drunk, Ember. And a drunk fae is not a credible source. The ancients have been banished from this world for thousands of years.”

“Okay, but Wally managed to steer clear.”

“They cannot get through the Veil.”

“Except there are tears in the Veil,” I remind him, though, based on his tight expression, he didn’t need it.

“We can only keep our eyes out. There is no point in panicking until we know there’s a problem. Besides, it’s not as though the ancients are our only issue. There’s still Taranus to deal with, and now Ailis is out.”

“Plus the bond and my disease combined with your dark side.”

Rafferty nods, unamused by my Star Wars reference. Truthfully, I’m unamused, too. It’s a totally different ballgame when it’s happening in real life versus on the screen.

“Well, when I’m overwhelmed, I like to start with the easiest task.” I scoot forward, making space behind me. “And the easiest task is getting you clean.”

Rafferty doesn’t move right away. Instead, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“If you can’t, I understand.” I start to scoot back but he pushes to his feet.

“No, I can. I want to.” He strips out of his boots and pants then moves behind me. With his added size, water spills over the side of the tub, but soon he’s settled behind me, powerful thighs on either side of my body.

I lean back into him and breathe deeply. “Problem number one,” I say.

He kisses the top of my head. “If only our others were solved by getting naked and into a bath.”

“If only,” I repeat. My lids grow heavy, my body completely relaxed against his.

“Will you tell me of your childhood?” he asks quietly.

“There’s not much to tell.”

His hands begin to trail lazily over my arms. “Tell me, anyway.”

“As you know, I grew up in an orphanage.”

“Yes.”

“No one ever adopted me, but I spent a lot of time with a woman who worked there. She taught me to dance, sew, play the piano…she was a surrogate mother, I suppose.” Smiling, I recall all the good memories I had. They were few and far between, especially after she passed away, but they were there. “When she died, I focused only on getting through the days until I turned eighteen and could leave.”

His hands still. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories.”

“You didn’t.” I reach up and take his hands, bring them into the water, and place them on my belly. “Marie got me through a lot of hard days, and she gave me the confidence I needed to work hard at becoming someone more.”

“She sounds lovely.”

“She was.” I let out a sigh. “Tell me of your childhood.”

Rafferty stills behind me, but just when I’m about to tell him it’s okay not to talk about it, he clears his throat. “You know I have two brothers and that I had a sister.”

“I do,” I reply, regretting the request almost instantly. If my past is hard? Rafferty’s is hell. “If you don’t want to—”

“I do not mind,” he interrupts. “My childhood was actually quite pleasant. I had parents who loved me, brothers who looked up to me, and a sister who was my entire world. Niahm was sunlight,” he says with a smile. “Always happy, never darkened by the world around us. She saw the best in everyone.”

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